Mary’s Testimony

My childhood was full of insecurity fear. My mother was ill with epilepsy & she gradually deteriorated until she died when I was 8 years old.
My Father found this very difficult to cope with both practically & emotionally & he withdrew into himself. 
Consequently I never really felt deeply loved, I remember most being afraid & lonely. I was selfish.
I used to lie & steal & beat up my poor little brother.

When my mum died I remember initially being amazingly unaffected by it.
I had become so alienated from her that it meant nothing to me that she had died. 
I cried no tears & went to school in the morning as if nothing had happened.
16 months later my Dad got married again. 
We got on really well with our new mum because she spent time with us & played with us & hugged us & kissed us & that was what we had missed for so long.
I became a Christian sometime in my teens although I'm not sure of the exact time. 
The desire to be a Christian was awakened in my heart by going along regularly to a Young People's Meeting run by a Christian lady (Pam Coles). 
From there I started going to church every Sunday but unfortunately I never learned clearly how to become a Christian. 
I never really understood the significance of Christ’s death on the cross as paying the penalty for our sins & that I needed to repent & accept His forgiveness & live according to His Word in the Bible.
I think I came to a gradual realisation of this through my teenage years. 
My Godmother [June Fish] who is a Christian helped me a lot.
Since Ive been a Christian the Lord has done a marvellous work of healing in my life. 
Instead of feeling lonely & insecure I am now totally secure in Christ – in His love for me & knowing that He has saved me from the power of Sin.
My relationship with Him is a constant source of delight & love & fulfilment.